How often does a team sue over the transfer portal? Wisconsin levies landmark suit against Miami

The University of Wisconsin has levied a lawsuit against the University of Miami (Florida). They allege that Miami poached a player, Xavier Lucas, who was still under contract with Wisconsin and outside the transfer window. 

This is a wrinkle in the new college sports landscape. With NIL and the transfer portal totally reshaping the sport as we know it, it begs the question: How often does this happen?

How often does a team sue another in college football?

The answers is basically never. Teams sue teams for things and have before, but this particular type of suit is unprecedented. Yahoo! Sports is reporting that it is going to set the precedent for teams moving forward, and it's seen as a landmark moment for the college sports world. This doesn't happen. 

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective together filed a complaint in state circuit court on Friday alleging tortious interference by the University of Miami. No other team has done this before, and this is a very unique case. 

The school is seeking unspecified damages, transparency, and accountability from Miami for allegedly interfering with a binding revenue-share contract between the Badgers and their former defensive back. Lucas left the program in January to play at Miami.

That moment was a watershed one for college football as well. Lucas had signed with the Badgers, and the portal had closed. He transferred nonetheless in an unprecedented move, again shifting the perception of what's possible in college now. 

Per Yahoo! Sports, the lawsuit claims, “Miami interfered with UW-Madison’s relationship with Student-Athlete A (Lucas) by making impermissible contact with him and engaging in tampering." They reportedly did not want to file the lawsuit, but reluctantly did. They are going after Miami, but they're not worried about Lucas. 

The Big Ten is supporting the lawsuit, but whatever happens, college sports won't be the same. This will change how things operate, potentially forcing the NCAA to make a new rule as the ever-changing landscape shifts once again.